Tiltable lamp shade mount



Jan. 9, 1962 P. F. GOLDFINE 3,016,455

TILTABLE LAMP SHADE MOUNT Filed Aug. 1, 1960 INVENTOR. V/KWWA PHIL/D F, GOLD/WE United States Patent O 3,016,455 TILTABLE LAMP SHADE MOUNT Philip F. Goldfine, Shaker Heights, Ohio, assignor to PhiLMar Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Aug. 1, 1960, Ser. No. 46,834 3 Claims. (Cl. 240-148) The present invention relates to lamps such as table lamps and floor lamps and is concerned more particularly with mounting of the shade thereof.

Among the objects of the invention is to afford a simple, convenient and inexpensive arrangement my which the shade may be readily and securely mounted in true or level adjustment even though, in the large scale quan-.

shade mounting, stud, showing the frame mounting hub and support ribs in alternate adjusted positions;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged front elevation of the frustoconical finial base in its unmounted condition;

FIGURE 4 is a right side view of the expandable hub sleeve shown in FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the expandable hub sleeve;

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the mounting hub with portions of the radial frame ribs; and

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view of the mounting hub taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows 7-7 of FIGURE 6.

While the tiltable shade mount that is the subject of this invention is applicable to substantially any construction of [door or table lamps, it is shown embodied in FIGURE 1 in a construction in which it has particular utility, since the exigencies of large scale manufacture, or as a result of handling, the shade supporting upright is not truly vertical, in many instances.

Reference numeral 10 indicates the upper portion of a typical ceramic lamp base having an electric socket 11 mounted thereon adapted to hold an incandescent bulb 36.

A so-called swivel harp 39 of the type described in U.S. Patent No. 2,270,497 issued to Kernel Berger on January 20, 1942, and now in the public domain, is shown mounted on the socket 11. These harps, or similar structures, are used in great quantities by lamp manufacturers and are freely procurable on the market.

As is seen most clearly in FIGURE 2, the harp 30 has a horizontal top section 38 which supports a flat washer, or yoke, 31 mounted thereon by means of dependent lugs '32 and 33.

An upstanding threaded stud 34 is mounted in the center of the washer 31 and acts as a mounting upright for the hereinafter described tiltable shade.

While the described structure is a preferred one for locating the mounting upright, it is to be understood that any suitable means for locating the shade mounting upright 34 and its associated flat washer surface 31 on the vertical axis of the lamp base may be used.

In the practice of the present invention, the shade may be generally conventional in construction, comprising a wire frame which has a plurality of arms or ribs, 14,

3,016,455 Patented Jan. 9, 1962 15, 16 and 17, radiating from a central ring or hub 18 to a wire hoop 13 at the upper periphery of the shade proper, 12, which may be of silk, parchment or the like.

The hub 18 has a concave central bore-19 therethrough, as is seen most clearly in FIGURE 7.

Reference numeral 20 indicates an expandable frustospherical sleeve nested within the hub bore 19.

By the term frusto-spherical is meant that part of a sphere that remains after the polar sections are cut off in planes parallel to each other, perpendicular to the polar axis, and equi-distant from the equator.

The spherical diameters of the sleeve 20 and the hub bore 19 are the same.

A slot 21 is cut through the sleeve wall so that the sleeve may be slightly compressed to allow insertion into the hub bore 19, or expanded from within, as explained hereinafter, against the hub bore wall.

The sleeve 20 has an axial opening therethrough of substantially larger diameter than the stud 34.

Reference numerals 24 and 25 indicate top and bottom edges, respectively, of the sleeve 20, at the opening 23.

The width of the sleeve 20 between the edges 24 and 25 is greater than the thickness of the hub 18, as is seen in FIGURE 2.

The sleeve 20 may be made of any suitable sheet material such'as spring steel, brass or plastic, having characteristics combining resiliency and ability to be flexed without permanent deformation.

The shade 12 is mounted on the stud 34 by fitting the hub and its sleeve 20 over the mounting stud 34 with the bottom edge 25 of the sleeve seated on the flat washer 31.

A finial 28, having a threaded bore 27 and a frustoconical base end 26, is screwed on to the stud 34 until the base cone 26 is nested within the sleeve 20* in contact with the top edge 24, thereof.

It will be evident from a study of FIGURE 2 that the sleeve 20 is held in place on the stud 34 between the washer 31 and the conical base 26 of the finial 28.

At the same time the hub 18 may be tilted on the spherical surface 22 of the sleeve 20 relative to the axis of the stud 34 to vary the angular inclination of the shade 12, as indicated by reference numerals 14a, 14b and 16a and 16b, which indicate alternate tilted positions of the shade ribs 14 and 16.

Upon further downward rotation of the finial 28, the cone 26 bears against the interior of the sleeve 20 and expands it against the mating concave surface of the hub bore 19 to wedge the sleeve and hub in locked engagement.

The farther the cone 26 penetrates the sleeve 26, the greater the expansion and resultant locking action.

When the finial is unscrewed, the natural resiliency of the sleeve causes it to resume its normal shape thereby releasing the hub and permitting it to be tilted to a new angle or to be removed entirely from the stud.

Referring more particularly to FIGURE 1, it will be evident that the socket 1'1, harp 31 and shade supporting stud 34, are not truly vertical but are inclined to the right of the center-line 37 of the lamp base 10.

At the same time, due to the mount-ing structure of the shade 12 and its manner of manipulation, described hereinabove, the bottom edge 2% of the shade is positioned in hue level alignment with the lamp base 10.

The particular advantage of this invention is that the sleeve 20 may be easily compressed and snapped into the concave bore 19 of the hub 18, at the time of manufacture, yet cannot fall out or be lost. Again, the shade may be mounted on harps 30, readily available and already in wide use, so that the desirable features of this tiltable shade may not only be enjoyed by purchasers of new lamps, but also by those having old lamps which may be connected by merely buying this novel tilting shade and anchoring finial.

It will now be clear that there is provided a device which accomplishes the objectives heretofore set forth. While the invention has been disclosed in its preferred form, it is to be understood that the specific embodiment thereof as described and illustrated herein is not to be considered in a limited sense as there may be other forms or modifications of the invention which should also be construed to come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a lamp harp of the type having an upright shade supporting threaded stud centered in a fiat washer, a tiltable shade, comprising, a frame having supporting ribs radiating from a mounting hub having a central bore t-herethrough of concave cross-section; an expandable 'frusto-spehical sleeve, having the same spherical diameter as the hub bore, nested within said bore and having an axial opening therethrough of larger diameter than the stud, the width of the sleeve being greater than the thickness of the hub; the hub and its supported shade being mounted on the stud with the lower edge of the sleeve seated on the stud washer; and means mounted on the stud for expanding the sleeve within the hub, to lock the supported shade in adjusted positions relative to the stud, whereby though the stud be not accurately vertical, the shade may yet be mounted and secured in a true level position.

2. In combination with a lamp harp of the type having an upright shade supporting threaded stud centered in a flat washer, a tiltable shade, comprising, a frame having supporting ribs radiating from a mounting hub having a central bore therethrough of concave cross-section; an expandable frusto-spehical sleeve, having the same spherical diameter as the hub bore, nested within said bore and havingan axial opening therethrough of larger diameter than the stud, the width of the sleeve being greater than the thickness of the hub, the hub and its supported shade being mounted on the stud with the lower edge of the sleeve seated on the stud washer; and a finial having a frusto-conical base threadedly mounted on the stud within the axial opening of the sleeve and adapted upon rotation toward the aforesaid washer to engage and expand the sleeve within the hub to lock the supported shade in adjusted positions relative to the stud, whereby though the stud be not accurately vertical, the shade may yet be mounted and secured in a true level position.

3. In combination with a lamp harp of the type having an upright shade supporting threaded stud centered in a flat washer, a tiltable shade, comprising, a frame having supporting ribs radiating from a mounting hub having a central bore therethrough of concave cross-section;

a flexible frusto-spherical sleeve, having the same spherical diameter as the hub bore, nested with said bore and also having a slot in the wall thereof and an axial opene ing therethrough of l-a'rger diameter than the stud, the width of the sleeve beinggreater than the thickness of the hub; the hub and its supported shade being mounted on the stud with the lower edge of the sleeve seated on the stud washer; and a finial having a frusto-conical base threadedly mounted on the stud Within the axial opening of the sleeve and adapted upon rotation toward the aforesaid washer to engage and expand the sleeve within the hub to lock the supported shade in adjusted positions relative to the stud, whereby though the stud be not accurately vertical, the shade may yet be mounted and secured in a true level position.

Np references cited. 

